Clothes wringer



July 10, 1923.

C. E. REDDIG CLOTHES WRINGER Filed Sept. 14 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 10, 1923.

C. E. REDDIG CLOTHES WRINGER Filed Sept. 14 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,bl/gm only ie, reza 'I `ES E. REDDIG, QF RICmOND HILL,v NEW YORK, ASSIGNQB T0 WEST ci.:

"l BEG- TRIC COMPANY, INCORPDRATED, QF NEW YORK, N. Y., A COBPOMTIUN 0F NEW cnornns ons.

Application led September 14, 1920. Serial Ho. 410,114.

eicient means for releasing and restoring the tension which holds the rollers ein gagement. Other objects are the provision of new and improved feed boards and movable drain board. The invention is particularly applicable to wringers which are power driven, although it is a so applicable to and useful in connection with hand-driven wri ers.

It 1s desirable in all clothes that means be rovided for releasing the pressure of one ro ler upon 'the other when the machine is not in use. Unless such means is lect usi it, with consequent damage' to the rollers w ile the machine stands idle.

It is also highly important, in connection with power-driven wringers, to provide easily operated means whereby the tension on the movable roller is instantly released and the latter allowed to move freely away from the other roller, in case the fingers of the operator become pinched between the rollers. Experience has proven, however, that if such releasing. means is inconvenient to'operate or if it ispurely a Safety device which is not used during the normal operation of the machine, then the operator may fail to use it in an emergency but instead will attempt to release her fingers by operating the handle which controls the starting and stopping of the rollers.

In other words,the more readily operable the tension releasing and restoring arrangement is, the more apt the operator is to use during the normal operation of the wringer. when the latter is left idle or is stalled .by an. attempt to amount of clothing throng it at one time.

And if the operator thus becomes accustomed' to using `the releasing arrangement .frequently duringthe normal .operation of the ut too large anv machine, then it is probable that if the iingers of one hand become pinched between the rollers she will almost instinctively actuate the releasing device with her other hand. The present invention takes these facts into account, and 'provides' a clothes wrlnger 1n which the pressure of the movable roller upon the fined roller may be easily and instantly released and restored durin the normal operation of the machine as we as 1n an emergency due to the pinchmof the operators lingers.

v e invention will be understood from the following description takenin connec-Y tion withthe accompanying drawinlg: in

the

which one embodiment is illustrated.

drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the winger mounted 'on a washing machine oi which only the top is shown; Fig. 2 is an end elevation; Fi 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, t e portion which contains the control mechanism being omitted; 4 is an end elevation, taken in section on the l1ne H of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a sectional end elevation similar to Fig.' 4 but with the tension device in its released position,'and with the drain board extending to the left instead of to the right; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the drain board and the latch which cooperates therewith; and Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the construction whereby the feed boards are supported. .Y

Referring to the drawings, the wringer is shown as rotatably mounted at the top of a washing machine partly shown at 8. The wringer mechanism, hereinafter described 1n detail, 1s supported in a main frame 9 at one end of which within the casing 10 is the mechanism for controlling the starting and Y stopping of the rollers and the direction in which they are driven by a motor (not shown) which furnishes the power for drivingv the Awashing machine and the wringer. The control mechanism within the casing 10, which is actuated by the handle 1l, forms no part of the present invention and need not be described in detail. It is also un' necessary to describe the latch mechanism for holding the swinging wringer in any desired angular position with reference to the washing machine, further than to say that operates with a slot in a plate 14 'integral vwith the main wrin er frame and with any one of several slots in a plate 15 secured to Secure The main supporting frame 9 has integral therewith an upwardly extending end member 19, and a similar end member 2O is rigidly secured to the main supporting frame by screw bolts 21. The shaft 22 of the lower roller 23 is journaled in fixed bearings in said end members 19 and 20. This shaft 22 is power driven through a controlmechanism actuated by the handlel 11. The shaft 25 of the upper roller 26 is journaled .in bearings preferably of the ball type which are movable in recesses in the end members 19I and 2O of the form clearly shown in the drawings.' The shaft 25 carriesa gear 30 of any well lmown form which cooperates with a similar gear 31 fixed on the shaft 22; and the roller 26 is thus caused to rotate in unison with but oppositely to the. roller 23. Mounted on the tops of the end members 19 and 2()v are yokes 33 and 34, which at one end are biurcated and pivotally connected by pins 35 to lugs 36 integral with the end members 19 and 20. The opposite ends of said yokes are also bifurcated and have pivotally connected thereto by means of a pin 38 a tension device consisting of a bolt 39 having at its free end a winged nut 40 adapted to put under-tension a spring 41 which surrounds said bolt and normally cooperates with lugs 42 extending outwardly from the tops of the end members 19 and 20. The said tension devices, therefore, removably cooperate with the end members and serve to hold said yokes yieldingly against the tops of said end members, as

shown in Fig. 4. Between the movable bearings 27 and 28 and the yokes 33 and 34 are what may be termed knock-down connections which, in the embodiment shown, consist of cams 44 and 45 rigidly secured to opposite ends of a U-shaped actuating bar 46. Said cams are arranged for movement in either direction within cavities formed in the end members 19 and 20 and within cavities in the bottoms of said yokes 33 and 34; and the ends of said cams which cooperate with the movable bearings 27 and 28 are flat, and the other ends of said cams which cooperate with the yokes 33 and 34 are rounded, all as clearly shown in Figs. 3', 4 and 5. Said cams, when in the position shown in Fig. 4, require the movable bearings 27 and 28 and the yokes 33and 34 to move in uninasse,

son; and when said cams are in. the position shown in Fig. 5 said movable bearings 27 'and-28 are free to move upwardly toa certain extent independently of. said yokes 33 and 34. I

During the normal operation of the wringer, the cams 44 and 45 stand in the position shown in Figs. 3 and .4. In this condition, the upper roller 26 is yieldingly held in engagement with the lower roller 23. When the wringer is not in use, the bar 46 and the cams 44`and 45 connected thereto should be left in either of their two horizontal positions one of which is shown in Fig. 5. When the cams are in this-position, the tension of the springs 41 is not transmitted to the movable bearings 27 and 28. Obviously, it is a simple matter, requiring no adjustment of the tension releasing means, to move the actuating bar 46 and the cams 44 and 45 carried thereby from their vertical position to either of their horizontal positions and nsl vice versa. Any properly instructed operator will therefore have little excuse for not releasing the tenslon on the up er roller when the wringer is not in use. oreover,

.if during use the wringer becomes stalled in an attempt to run too much clothing throu h it at one time, it is an easy matter for t xe operator to throw the actuating bar 46 from its vertical to either `of its horizontal positions, thereby releasing the tension and allowing the upper roller 26 to move freely away .from the lower roller 23. It is also apparent that if the lingers of the operator become pinched between the rollers, the tension on the upper roller may be instantly released by throwing the actuating bar 46 and the cams 44 and 45 in either direction to a horizontal position, which permits the rollers to separate and the operator to withdraw her hand.

ANExtending from each side ofthe wringer are feed boards 47 and 48 which are preferably of sheet metal and of the form shown.

These feed boards at each side thereof have socket portions 49 best shown, in Fig. 7, which are adapted to cooperate with vertically aranged ribs 50 projecting from said end members 19 and 20 inwardly toward one another. Said feed boards may be easily applied and removed by sli them in a vertical direction while the soc et portions portion 52 and side portions 53 both of the latter being rovided with slots 54 which cooperate vvit pins 55 projecting inwardly` from the end members 19 and 20 of the wringer frame. Lugs 56 projecting inwardly from the end members 19 and 20 are engaged byl the top of the side edges of said its two positions which are shown in drain board when'tlie latter is in -eith of 1 4 and 5. However, in order to positive y hold said drain board in either of its operative positions, a latch'member 58, of the form best shown in Fig. 6 is provided. This latch member 58 is pivotally secured by 'a screw 59 to the side of the end member 20, and carries a spring 60 which cooperates with the lug 61 projecting from the end member 20, thereby serving to yieldingly retain said latch member 58 in its operative or inoperative position. Said latch member 58 is of such a form and is so arranged that when thedrain board is in the position shown in Fig. 4 the latch member cooperates with a notch 63 in the upper edge of one side of the drain board; as shown in Fig. 6, and when said drain board is in the position shown in Fig. 5 the latch member 58 engages a shoulder 64 in the bottom of one edge of the drain board. The drain board may, therefore, be moved either to the position shown ,in Fig. 4: or to the position shown in Fig. 5, and in. either position is firmly held by the latch member 58.

What is claimed is:

1. In a clothes wrin r, the combination of a supporting frame aving end members, a roller journaled in said end members, a second roller, bearings for the second roller sliding-1y mounted in said end members, yokes pivotallyI mounted on the tops of said end members and extending over thev bearings for the second roller, tension devices cooperating with said yokes and tending to hold them in a certain position and knock down connections between said yokes and said movable bearings for the second roller which in one position require the movable bearings and yokes to move in unison and in another (position leave said bearings free.

to move in ependently of said yokes.l

2. In a clothes wringer, the combination of a supporting frame having end members, a roller journaled in said end members, a second roller, bearin for the second roller slidingly mounted' 1n said end members,

pokes mounted on the tops of said end memers and ivotally connected thereto at one end of said yokes, tension devices cooperatin with said end members and with the free en s of sald yokes and tending 'to hold the latter in a certain position, and cams between said yokes and said movable bearings for the second roller which in one position require the movable vbearings and yokes to move in unison and in another position leave said bearlngs free to'move independently of said okes.

3. n a clothes wringer, the combination of a supporting frame having end members, a roller journaled in said end members, a second'roller, bearings for the second roller slidingly mounted in said end members,

okes mounted on the tops of said end memers and ivotally connected thereto at one end of said yokes, tension devices pivotally connected to the free ends of said yokes and removably cooperating with said end members whereby said yokes are yieldingly held against the tops of said end members, and cams between said yokes and said movable bearings for the second rollerwhich in one position require the movable bearings and yokes to move in unison and in another position leave said bearings free to move independently of said yokes.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 10th day of September A. D.,

CHARLES E. REDD'IG. 

